It is rumored that Marsha P. Johnson *threw the first brick at the 1969 Stonewall Uprising. Although the historical accuracy of that claim remains debated, the symbolic weight of Johnson’s presence at Stonewall is undeniable.
Yet Stonewall was only one chapter in a life defined by resistance. Marsha: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson is a dynamic cultural history of the icon, activist, performer, and artist Marsha P. Johnson. Author Tourmaline positions Johnson’s life and legacy as emblematic of intersectional activism. In doing so, Marsha challenges sanitized historical narratives and urges readers to witness the complexity and collective power of Black trans life.
Marsha P. Johnson was a Black trans activist, performer, and self-identified drag queen born in 1945 in Elizabeth, New Jersey. After moving to New York City, Johnson became a central figure in the queer liberation movement. Tourmaline views Johnson through an intersectional lens. Specifically, Tourmaline writes about how race, gender, mental health, and neurodiversity shaped Johnson’s standpoint.
Whereas others dismissed Marsha P. Johnson and her activism, Tourmaline contends that the erasure reflected racist, transphobic, and ableist discourses. It was these same discourses that framed her mental health as a deficit, her neurodiversity as unusual, and her existence as threatening.
Yet Tourmaline identifies a valuable counternarrative. She rejects pathologized narratives that illustrate lives such as Johnson’s as “not just tragic disability and struggle, but as the source of some of their gifts.” For Johnson, these gifts were her fearless visibility and unwavering commitment to liberation.
The intersectionality of her identity complicated Marsha P. Johnson’s belonging. As a Black trans woman, she frequently faced rejection. Tourmaline recalls examples of othering and transphobia from the Gay Activist Alliance’s “anti-drag and anti-trans sentiments” or the “Lesbian Feminist Liberation’s decision to align with a broader transphobic backlash under the feminist banner”.
Despite this marginalization, Marsha P. Johnson found alliances. She joined the Gay Liberation Front and found solidarity with groups such as the Black Panthers, the Young Lords, and radical student activists. These opportunities for solidarity reflect the shared stakes in dismantling systematic oppression.
Martha P. Johnson’s legacy realigns liberation with authenticity and inclusivity. Yet living authentically was dangerous for her, as it would still be today. Trans women of color, especially those engaged in sex work and street economies, continue to face disproportionate levels of violence and criminalization simply for existing. Tourmaline captures this violence when she describes “‘walking while trans;’ ’the criminalization of simply being”.
Despite the constant policing, Marsha P. Johnson remained steadfast in her visibility. She wore gowns with men’s shoes, applied her make-up at department store counters, and was often adorned in flowers and rosary beads. Her style was emblematic of her refusal to be erased. Tourmaline hopes “that every reader of Marsha’s story will take away from it the permission to be their whole self”. Accordingly, Johnson’s visibility was inspirational. In a culture that, to this day, is policing identity and punishing diversity, Johnson’s courage affirms existence as resistance.
For Marsha P. Johnson, care and inclusivity were analogous. Her nurturing instincts, later crystallized through her activism, were deeply communal. Johnson’s care was most clearly manifested through her work with the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (S.T.A.R.), which she co-founded alongside Sylvia Rivera. S.T.A.R. provided housing, safety, and solidarity for trans youth rejected by their families and society.
Marsha P. Johnson’s caretaking, particularly for those enduring the AIDS crisis in the 1980s, extended beyond traditional boundaries of kinship. She “loved inhabiting the role of mother, caring for younger queens and seeing to their development”. Johnson’s identity was not only shaped by subverting gender performance and expectations; her devotion to others’ well-being also defined her. Johnson’s caretaking was driven by the belief that every person was worthy of love, protection, and wellness. Perhaps Johnson’s legacy will help to finally cement these elements as fundamental human rights rather than the dreams of radical activists.
Noticeably, Marsha exhibits a tangential narrative flow. Tourmaline often shifts focus to individuals such as Rivera and Agosto Machado, or describes the broader cultural and political landscapes outlining Johnson’s life. On the one hand, these side stories directly intersected with Johnson’s experiences, but the extended explanations diverted attention from her.
Yet, on the other hand, intentionality informs the narrative choice. These individuals were not just footnotes in Marsha P. Johnson’s story but also co-conspirators in her activism. Tourmaline rejects defining Johnson through the hero narrative by including these interconnected lives. Johnson’s legacy, as retold here, is not just one of individual bravery but of community and solidarity.
Through Marsha, Tourmaline provokes readers to consider inclusivity. Consequently, this biography is not just a reclamation of Marsha P. Johnson’s story, but a challenge to constructing history. Johnson actively resists the “limited and whitewashed archive of history” that often excludes queer, trans, disabled, and Black lives. Marsha invites us to rethink the past and, in its reflection, work towards building a just and inclusive future.
As such, Marsha: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson is an essential read. Tourmaline’s portrayal of Marsha P. Johnson challenges us to confront the dominant stories and reclaim space for the marginalized. Only by bringing those experiences and contributions to the forefront, as Marsha does, can we truly honor the revolutionary importance of trans identity.
*Editor’s Note: The question of who “threw the first brick/punch” at the Stonewall Uprising is oft-disputed. Stormé DeLarverie is also credited as the catalyst.